September 29, 2007	Saturday	Ramazan 16, 1428

KARACHI, Sept 28: Mark Boucher and Rizwan Ahmed were the outstanding performers on the penultimate day of the three-day warm-up fixture between the PCB Patron’s XI and the touring South Africans at the NBP Sports Complex here on Friday.

Boucher tuned up for the first Test against Pakistan, starting at the National Stadium on Monday, with an enterprising, unbeaten century while Rizwan, an all-rounder who bowls leg-spin, returned creditable figures of seven for 144.

South Africa, who resumed at 294-5 with A.B. de Villiers on 48 and Boucher 14, batted well into the afternoon session to pile up 467 all out in 136 overs. The Patron’s XI finished the day at 136 for three.

De Villiers emulated team-mates Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis by helping himself to a fine half-century, but Boucher surpassed them all to post 109. The wicket-keeper-batsman’s 182-ball knock was embellished with nine fours and one six.

The sixth-wicket partnership between de Villiers (81 off 182 balls, eight fours) and Boucher was worth 119 in just under three hours before de Villiers was sent on his way via a slip catch off Rizwan.

Rizwan, who had overnight figures of three for 90, chipped away manfully to have Morne Morkel bowled before having Andre Nel stumped to break the 58-run stand for the eighth wicket. Paul Harris was his last victim.

Mansoor Amjad, who was handicapped by a hand injury sustained on Thursday, took the final wicket before Patron’s XI started their reply through their left-handed duo of skipper Taufiq Umar and Babar Naeem.

Babar was caught behind off Makhaya Ntini for 22 but Taufiq celebrated his inclusion in the first Test squad with a solid 50. The 26-year-old, who occupied the crease for 150 minutes, added 80 for the second-wicket with Shahid Yousuf before dragging a Kallis delivery onto his stumps.

Shortly afterwards, Shahid unnecessarily threw his wicket when he lofted slow left-armer Harris straight down Dale Steyn’s throat at deep mid-off. The diminutive right-hander scored 42.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings, overnight 294-5):

G.C. Smith st Sarfraz b Rizwan 20

H.H. Gibbs c Mansoor b Junaid 31

H.M. Amla c Babar b Rizwan 87

J.H. Kallis c Junaid b Anwar 73

A.G. Prince c Adnan b Rizwan 1

A.B. de Villiers c Taufiq Rizwan 81

M.V. Boucher not out 109

M. Morkel b Rizwan 7

A. Nel st Sarfraz b Rizwan 14

P.L. Harris c Anwar b Rizwan 4

M. Ntini c Taufiq b Mansoor 0

EXTRAS (B-6, LB-8, W-13, NB-13) 40

TOTAL (all out, 136 overs) 467

FALL OF WKTS: 1-56, 2-58, 3-188, 4-193, 5-261, 6-380, 7-394, 8-452, 9-466.

DID NOT BAT: D.W. Steyn.

BOWLING: Anwar Ali Khan 23-4-66-1 (5w); Junaid Zia 22-4-69-1 (5nb); Uzair-ul-Haq 19-3-63-0 (1w); Rizwan Ahmed 37-0-144-7 (5nb, 1w); Zohaib Khan 9-1-34-0; Mansoor Amjad 16-3-62-1 (3nb) Babar Naeem 10-5-15-0.

PCB PATRON’S XI (1st Innings):

Taufiq Umar b Kallis 50

Babar Naeem c Boucher b Ntini 22

Shahid Yousuf c Steyn b Harris 42

Adnan Raza not out 14

Anwar Ali Khan not out 2

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-2, NB-3) 6

TOTAL (for three wkts, 42 overs) 136

FALL OF WKTS: 1-39, 2-119, 3-123.

TO BAT: Asim Kamal, Rizwan Ahmed, Sarfraz Ahmed, Junaid Zia, Zohaib Khan, Uzair-ul-Haq, Mansoor Amjad.

BOWLING (to-date): Steyn 9-0-35-0 (2nb); Ntini 7-2-16-1; Nel 6-2-13-0; Morkel 5-0-27-0 (1nb); Harris 11-5-29-1; Kallis 4-1-13-1.